There were more than 30, 000 words in Old English. Modern English has the largest vocabulary in the world – more than 600, 000 words. Russian words in English are balalaika, bistro, bliny, taiga, tsar, rouble, samovar, sputnik, troika, duma, dacha. 70 per cent of the English language are from other languages and only 30 per cent of the words are English. The words which are very often used in English are the, of, and, to, a, in, that, is, I, it, for, as.

English pronunciation is not easy for Russians. To speak more clearly we need to practice tongue- twisters. Sometimes even British people find them very difficult. Is it so? Try yourselves! Don’t trouble troubles Until trouble troubles you. It only doubles trouble And troubles others too.

English spelling is another interesting thing. There are many rules of reading in English but sometimes it seems to me that there are much more exceptions to these rules. The English language has about 41 sounds while their alphabet has only 26 letters. This is one of the reason why English spelling is so problematic. More than 60 percent of English words have silent letters. Nearly every letter in the English alphabet is silent in some words.

There are proverbs and sayings in every language. They are handed down from generation to generation and are supposed to have a universal value. People use them to give a word of advice or a wise comment on the situation. Some English and Russian proverbs are common and can be translated word by word from one language into another. For example, ‘There is no smoke without fire’ has the Russian equivalent “Нет дыма без огня”. With others the meaning of the proverb can be expressed in different ways. For example, “once bitten, twice shy’ can be expressed in Russian by “Обжегшись на молоке, будешь дуть и на воду” или Пуганая ворона и куста боится”.

Here are some other examples: Rome was not a built in a day. There is no place like home. Like father, like son. Still waters run deep. Every family has a black sheep. All’s well that ends well.

Every day we send sms and use ICQ. Why? Because it is fun, it is simple and it is addictive. We do it under the noses of our moms, dads and even teachers. Text friends have created a whole new language of their own.SMS - s s s short message service 2 – to\too\two 4 – - at B – be B/C – because Pls – please TNX – Thanks U – you UOK – You OK? 2day – Today Wknd – weekend B4 – before CU – See you ILU – I love you IK – I know